Shoot for the stars… Even if you miss, you might land at a Hilton. Space tourism isn’t light-years away: last week Voyager Space tapped Hilton to design a space hotel set to launch in 2027 (feat. a galactic gym and room service). The space economy is forecast to hit $1T by 2040, and the space-tourism race is heating up: Voyager, Axiom Space, Blue Origin, and Northrop Grumman are using NASA funding to build private space stations. Virgin Galactic, Blue Origin, and SpaceX are now selling trips to space for between $50K and $55M.
Here comes Santa Claus… with a much lighter sleigh. FedEx sent shivers through the market this month after announcing cost-cutting measures on a slowdown in shipping demand and plunging profits — oh, and its CEO forecast “a worldwide recession.” Package deliveries have dipped for nearly all major couriers this year as the ecomm boom cools. Over half of Americans say it’ll be harder to afford holiday gifts. Holiday sales are expected to grow only 4 to 6% this year, down from 15% last year.